11 Feb

Posted at 14:08h in Artist's Postcards

Dunsyre: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1970
6 x 9.2cm, 1pp. Small artist's postcard with the text "VALSES POUR PIANO" in silver above "(Water Music)".
La Valse was a "poème chorégraphique pour orchestre (a choreographic poem for orchestra)" written by Ravel in the 1920s. Initially a ballet it came to be usually just performed on piano without dancers. The timing is that of a waltz. The reference to water music brings the work back to a focus onnature and how sounds such as running water can be melodious.
JOINT WITH:
Original small white envelope for posting.

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11 Jan

Posted at 14:02h in Artist's Postcards

Dunsyre: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1970
5 x 7.5cm, 4pp. Small artist's postcard with an uncredited drawing of boats with flying birds above on the front and internally the text:

SKYLARKS
Skylarks are ground birds with aerial songs".

The boats (not exactly grounded but on water) are being compared to the flighty acrobatic birds. It is worth noting that boats with sails and riggings have a certain twanging and flapping noise that is in some ways harmonious - reflecting Finlay's dictum about skylark song. VG+

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15 Dec

Posted at 13:52h in Artist's Postcards

Dunsyre: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1969
11.7 x 16.4cm, 4pp. Christmas card with the image of a fishing boat by John Furnival along with the Port Letters (FR), the Fishing Nos ((87), the Radio Call Sign (MWCZ), the gross tonnage (53) and its name (Xmas Star). A visual poem by Finlay which one year later was joined by related work Poem/Print No. Xmas Rose released as the Xmas card for that year. Both Xmas cards were also published as much larger prints by the Press.
Finlay's interest in boat names and numbers is reflected in the beauty of Furnival's line drawing. The boat is a poem on water.
This example has a pencil greeting inside on the blank pages "Best Xmas Wishes from John Furnival". VG+.

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14 Nov

Posted at 21:08h in Artist's Postcards

Woodchester: Opening Press, 1969
23 x 46cm folded to 23 x 12cm. (with six vertical folds). Printed at the Glevum Press in an edition of 500 numbered copies. Finlay's fourth Standing Poem, published as Opening Number 3, edited by his then friend John Furnival.
The card is folded several times - if unopened it shows the title words Pole and Night - an indication of steerage via the stars and internally, once standing open, various words associated with STAR are found including lobstar, hound-star, lonestar, sadstar, crossed star, telestar and eveningstar amongst others (one is reminded of David Bowie's final record Blackstar that also plays a similar word game although the two are obviously not related) -the letters C A T C H are also found amongst the words - associating the layout of letters with a net to secure the fishing boat's target of fish.
Very good +. Scarce. Murray 4.17...

16 Oct

Posted at 11:33h in Artist's Postcards

Dunsyre: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1969
14.4x 13.6cm, 2pp. The card reproduces a sand-blasted glass work by Finlay against a view of small boats in a harbour. The text is made up of poetic texts where boat letter registrations of harbours inspire each phrase with the registrations letters in capitals, the rest lowercase - such as roSY fAr blacK, PatcheD BroKen fAded, Green FainteR LoatH and lucKY fuLl. Photograph by J.w. Lucas. The first photographic card by Finlay and also the first to show a three dimensional work. Murray 4.20....

16 Aug

Posted at 11:32h in Artist's Postcards

Dunsyre: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1969
16.5 x 12cm, 2pp. The card has a reproduced drawing by Margot Sandeman of boats and overlaid is a text which lists nine names of boats. The names are all middle class girl's names and Finlay has designated them as an "Homage to John Betjeman" a poet who often muses on unrequited love affairs with pretty girls . (Betjemin reputedly also said on this death bed: "I wish I'd had more sex." but that could be untrue but it does hint at the longing after flesh that these names infer.
POINT-TO-POINT is a form of racing in both horse racing and sailing. It hints at competition, young women on horseback and love as a competition.
Murray has this as Card 4.19. ...

16 Mar

Posted at 11:04h in Artist's Postcards

Dunsyre: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1969
16.5 x 12cm, 2pp. The card has a reproduced drawing by Margot Sandeman of boats and overlaid is a text which lists three names OF barge - Ethel Maud, Lapwing, Spinaway C and the four name FOR barges - Bramble, Titch, Typhoo, Prettypolly. The former are presumably existing names, the latter names that Finlay would like to allocate.
Murray has this as Card 4.18. ...

16 Jul

Posted at 10:57h in Artist's Postcards

Dunsyre: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1968
16.8 x 12.4cm, 2pp. The card show various forms of nets used by different types of fishing boats around a invisible circle and the final word is Planet - referencing the missing circle and the fact such nets are used all around the globe. The obvious joke also being that the word planet ends in NET - and that we are all linked in a single global eco-structure. Planet is also in a lighter tone of black than the others.
Murray has this as Card 4.16. Murray mis-identifies (not unusual) the date here - on the back it is clearly 1968 but the Catalogue Raisonne has it as 1969. ...

22 May

Posted at 10:44h in Artist's Postcards

Dunsyre: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1968
12.5x 6.8cm, 2pp. The card is the one of a series that reproduce phrases found in journals and newspapers together to tell a quasi-story or visual poem. Here the headline "Zephyr joins Avoch Fleet" is on the surface a tale of a new acquisition by a company of boats - but of course it also can be read as the good fortune of a sail boat fleet catching a good wind. Murray has this as Card 4.14. Fine....

16 May

Posted at 10:40h in Artist's Postcards

Dunsyre: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1968
12.5 x 6.8cm, 2pp. The card is the one of a series that reproduce phrases found in journals and newspapers together to tell a quasi-story or visual poem. Here Ocean Starlight (a boat's name) towed off rocks presumably is a story of a rescue but Finlay's appropriation turns this into a magical event involving light on water. The use of the word "illuminations" also reflects this meaning as well as amusingly suggesting that Fishing News is full of insights.
Murray has this as Card 4.13. Fine....

16 May

Posted at 10:32h in Artist's Postcards

Dunsyre: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1968
9.8 x 25cm, 2pp. Finlay in many of his early cards finds the spaces between banks of canals, or between features of the landscape irresistible. Here the words THE LAND'S SHADOWS in red are split with four others in a different colour which read Drift Trawl Ring Seine. Words associated with sailing are thus flanked by the dark areas of the landscape (from hills or banks - one does not know) hence painting a picture using words. VG. Murray 4.12. ...

28 Apr

Posted at 10:28h in Artist's Postcards

Dunsyre: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1968
16 x 16cm, 2pp. Green on blue card - the front of the card has a circular design made up of fishing boat names typographically set by Alistair Cant on Finlay's instruction. The pattern creates both a planet or the movement in the stars as they appear to spin around the boat as night passes. Stars for boats are essential to allow passage - until modern methods of navigation they were the sailor's only orientation. The choice of the boat names chosen by Finlay reinforces that - all have the word STAR in them e.g. Morning Star, Day Star, Fortune Star and so on.
This is the second of two cards with a similar intent - the other uses the letters and numbers of the boats - here the attractive names people give their vessels are used instead.
The title Sea Poppy refers to the yellow hornpoppy which only grows on sea shores - again a clear nautical reference.
This design and others like it was used by Finlay in different formats including wall works, object multiples, printed posters and cards. ...

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